The Fog
by Elocintheelvenprincess
Summary: Hermione has been out in the field investigating a dense fog that's settled in the forests of the England-Scotland borders on an 8 week Auror mission. Two weeks in and she receives back up in the form of one Auror Draco Malfoy. What was Harry thinking putting them together? Can they find out what's causing the fog before they become lost within it?
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1:

Hermione Granger had been wandering in the dense fog for hours. She'd been sent on an exhibition by the Ministry to find out what was happening to cause the fog and study the impact on the local animals. She had a pack on her shoulders and her beaded bag with undetectable extension charm. It held the items the ministry did not assign to carry in her pack.

She seethed. She was sent on a one person mission into the Kielderland Nature Preserve, and hiking through the Kielder Forest along the England-Scotland border. She had supplies enough for two months without having to go back if she rationed a bit. She barely ate anyway and at night after she set her wards and silenced her campsite, she didn't start a fire, only casting a few warming charms in her tent.

She had to silence her campsite because she still woke screaming from nightmares of the war. Voldemort's face, Bellatrix's laughs, Lucius' sneer, Greyback's claws and teeth, and Scabior's leers. Ron and Harry hadn't known the extent of her torture in the Manor.

Bella had let the three men have her. Only two had finished before Fenrir Greyback's turn. But something had made him freeze, he hadn't been able to get near her. Thank Merlin. She'd been alone and barely conscious when she felt hands lift her. The next moment she was back in the room with Bella and the Malfoy family, Dobby, Luna, Ron, and Harry with Olivander, and Griphook. She never told them what had happened with the elder Malfoy and Scabior or what had almost happened with Greyback.

The final battle had been awful, seeing the Dark Lord's glee after Harry's "death". Then seeing Greyback eating Lavender Brown's dead body. A sob escaped her throat at the thought of someone who'd she'd shared a room with for 6 years being eaten by someone who'd almost done the same thing to her.

Hermione and Ron had cried for Lavender on several occasions, she was someone Ron wouldn't get over, which led to conflict between Hermione and Ron's relationship. Ron had been with Lavender after he'd left her and Harry in the Forest of Dean and she'd been carrying his child. He had run into her when he left Harry and Hermione alone when they were hunting for the horcruxes.

Hermione was so hurt and betrayed because he came back with those lines about hearing her voice and following her light. What rubbish. She knew now the Professor Snape had been the one to lead Ron to the pond, to the sword and Harry.

She shivered again. She couldn't seem to get warm today. She'd been out searching blindly for any sign or reason for the fog and how to make it dissipate for over two weeks. She knew the climate was not the cause of it, and had reason to suspect that it was created by magical beings to cover illegal dealings. She just wasn't sure if it was actually wizards, centaurs or goblins. She had found magical properties in the makeup of the actual fog itself.

She'd sent her otter patronus to the Ministry last week, it had been received by Harry and a few days later his stag patronus had come to her and told her to stay and try to find the cause, and to learn what they were dealing with. That and he would be sending an Auror to help her in the next few days, just in case. She'd prefer Harry himself. She knew Harry, worked well with him. They would do what needed to be done without worrying about the other and their life.

They would ensure the mission's success and carry on despite if the other perished during it. She knew Ron would lose focus if he was sent. He would bring up baggage. He did so every week at the family dinner at the Burrow, he threw her decision to break it off in her face every week. She wasn't sure why she'd continued to go to those dinners. She supposed that she still wanted to still be a part of the family that took her own family's place. Her parent's had died in a car crash about a month after the war while the Death Eaters were being rounded up by Aurors and trials were commencing. It was still unclear if it was because of their actual driving skills or if wizards had been involved.

The car crash had burned their bodies, only being identified by their teeth. Fitting that the dentists were identified by their perfect pearly whites. Hermione thought bitterly.

She saw a silver stag coming her way and then Harry's voice.

"You're not going to be happy but I had to send someone who's about as good as me in situations of high stress. They will do what needs to be done. Please don't hate me. Malfoy will be at Bravo location at 2200 hours, you will need to meet him and continue your progress. If Bravo location is compromised, please proceed to the safe coordinates, Malfoy had been briefed and will do what is necessary should issues arise. Sorry about it being him. If nothing arises meet at the Delta checkpoint in 6 weeks with what data you do have and the portkey will take you home by 2200 hours. Gin and I send our love. Be safe." The stag disappeared.

"Fuck!" The explicative was out of her mouth before she realized it. What in the bloody hell made Malfoy become an Auror of all things.

Hermione was livid. Sending her on a Godforsaken mission to a forest where she saw nothing day or night but dense white fog, searching for clues within a 2-5 foot radius day after day. Having to levitate herself up into trees to see if damages were occurring there because she couldn't see above the lowest branches. Feeling creeped out because of imagined eyes on her at all moments, or at least she hoped that her brain was imagining the eyes.

Now after two weeks she would be stuck with Draco Malfoy of all people. He was the bane of her existence. He and she had verbal sparring matches when they were in school. He hated her because of the fact that she was muggle-born and looked down on her because he believed her to be inferior to himself, a pureblooded wizard. She'd rather Ron and his scathing remarks and looks of hatred. At least he had somewhat of a legitimate reason to hate her, not like Malfoy's bigotry.

She sighed and looked at her watch, it was just after 8pm. She began to repack her things, she'd not yet eaten, but that didn't matter to her anyway, she had an apple a few hours ago, she could wait until Malfoy joined her and fix something then, just in case he hadn't eaten.

It would be better not to use too much fire to attract attention. One per night was enough, and it was usually held in a jar until the food was warm then put out so as to not disturb the ground. At least that's how she'd been doing it the past two weeks. Keeping herself as low profile as possible, not leaving traces of herself, except for the barest amount. She signed, shrinking her tent and feeling the warmth fan her face from the warming charm she'd cast.

At 9 she had everything packed, and her wards dismantled. She then Apparated with her barely there pop to a location close to Bravo checkpoint. She had been partway between Bravo and Charlie on the map. She had perfected the almost silent apparation, she'd needed to during the war, and with her Auror training it had been a very useful tactic for evasive maneuvers. She'd been one of the top students in the Academy.

She made her way through the dense fog to the Bravo location. She'd seen signs of disturbances a few hundred yards away as she'd wound her way around the site taking her time. She made it to the location with 20 minutes to spare and set up the wards to protect them from being attacked and shield them from being seen and heard. She knew her job, even if it meant helping her long-term nemesis.

She supposed she could be nice to him for this mission, since he was her backup, and she his. They'd have to trust one another as well. Could she trust him, she wasn't too sure, but he'd changed a bit since the war. Sure he was the same self-serving git and a womanizer at public appearances but at least he didn't hold to the old Pureblood values his parents' had. Five minutes before arrival she was trying to clear her mind and prepare herself for the meeting. Little did she know he wasn't looking forward to being her backup any more than she.

XXXXX

Harry Potter had been asking around trying to find out who had spare time to be deployed out for six weeks. Only three people had time Luna, Ron, and Malfoy. He'd wanted to send Ron right away but then thought better of it. Those two did not always get along and he couldn't trust Ron to not let emotions cloud his judgement.

Luna Lovegood was sometimes unpredictable when it came to creatures, so he really didn't want to send her either. That left Malfoy. Merlin help him. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy didn't see eye to eye at all. He still baited her whenever he had a chance and she seemed to get mad at him for no reason at all. Ginny said it was because they fancied each other but didn't know it yet.

They had been top of their classes in Auror training, Malfoy joining a few months prior to Hermione. If they could get along they would be a great team. Sadly the two always ignored one another or baited each other into an argument. Both were brilliant in their debates too. Harry personally thought they were intellectually matched and well versed in literary works as well as evenly matched in magical power.

Harry sighed. He's have to give Malfoy his orders and send him on his way. He'd wait until the deployment to send Hermione a message so he wouldn't have to hear an earful from her otter patronus.

"Oy, Malfoy! I need you in here for a minute." Harry bellowed out of his office door. The blonde haired 6 foot 1 man sauntered into his office arrogantly.

"What can I do for you Scarhead?" He smirked. They held no animosity towards one another, both having an odd sort of friendship in their time working with one another on missions. Draco had proved himself invaluable and the two of them had saved one another more times than either could count.

"I have to send you out on a mission. It will last 6 weeks. You're to report to Auror Davies in two days at the Apparation safe house and from there you will be briefed before you meet with another Auror already in the field. That Auror will brief you on what we haven't received information on and the two of you will continue the mission." Harry informed him. He was being vague, he really didn't want to be the one to tell Draco he had to work with Hermione. He'd leave that to Clifton Davies. Poor sod.

Draco raised an eyebrow. Potter had never been one to leave out details. He was up to something and Draco was suspicious by nature.

"Why aren't you briefing me now?" Draco scowled. Harry just shook his head avoiding Malfoy's eyes.

"Davies knows the details, he will give you your mission and instructions. Meet at the apparation safe house at 1700 hours in two days with your pack and prepare to be gone for 6 weeks." Harry said and dismissed the blonde.

Draco's brows furrowed. What the bloody hell was Potter playing at? He hadn't given him any of the details he normally did. Like who was he meeting in the field, and what kind of mission. Draco would just put his affairs in order, take care of the few things and leave out at the appointed time.

XXXXXX

Two days later Draco stood in the small cabin the Ministry used as their safe house. It was unplottable except to the higher levels of the Auror's, those that went out into the field undercover.

Auror Davies had explained that Hermione Granger had been out in the field for the past two weeks investigating abnormal magical creature activity and the cause behind a dense fog that had settled in the forests at the Scotland border. She'd reported last week on magical activity and properties within the fog and suspicions on the fog being created as a diversionary or cloaking tactic. She wasn't quite sure yet.

Draco would go in, be her backup in either case, and help her get to the bottom of the abnormal activity. Draco read through the files on the mission and nodded. He was then briefed on the locations of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, and given a portkey to activate in 6 weeks to take him home. He was also given two emergency portkeys that would lead him and Granger to the safe coordinates if they were compromised at any point during their mission. After all the instructions and details it was time to take his portkey to the Nature Preserve and meet the one person he had never gone on a mission with because of their animosity towards one another. He gritted his teeth seething.

What the bloody hell was Potter thinking sending him to be Hermione Granger's, know-it-all and bookworm extraordinaire, backup? He was a professional and couldn't deny he would do his job and make sure of the success of the mission. He was concerned they would bicker the entire time.

He loved the heated debates, be it on Voltaire and Shakespeare, or the Ministry's many outdated policies and laws. He could only debate with her for so long before he wanted to tear her outrageous monstrosity that she called hair from her head. She infuriated him to no end. He sent a quick patronus to Potter. His was a silvery dragon about the size of Harry's stag.

He shivered and he knew Potter received his message, chuckling to himself.

" _Potter, what the bloody hell do you mean to send me to her? She hates me and will tear you a new arsehole so that I don't have to when the mission is over. You owe me a home cooked meal, let Weaslette-Potter know she's not to lift a finger while you dote on my aristocratic arse for sending me to parts unknowns with Granger of all people. See you in six weeks potter. Make sure you have the fixings for Shepherds Pie, Yorkshire Pudding, and Eccles Cake…made by your hand Potter."_

Draco had been over for dinner on more than a few occasions with Potter and Ginny. He knew Harry was the primary cook, though Ginny could make mouthwatering concoctions that rivaled her mother Molly Weasley. He figured the least he could get out of this mission is some good food with the jovial company of the Potter family.

Harry wasn't leaving for missions due to the pending arrival of his son James. Draco was a little jealous that Scarhead had married and started a family while he was still single. His mother had on several occasions begged him to settle down. He never lacked for female companionship but he would always leave them with a kiss at their door and a good memory. He hated bringing anyone back to his flat.

He had one-offs when he needed to but his last fling had been in a club bathroom with some brunette about six months ago. He sighed waiting for ten pm to arrive so he could meet the bane of his existence.

Draco knew for a fact that he was the last person in the world Hermione Granger wanted to be stuck on a mission with. He hoped he wouldn't have to talk about that fateful day six years ago at the Manor, but knew it was a definite possibility. He signed, 2 minutes to go. He was definitely not looking forward to this mission.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione watched as the tall pale blonde form of Draco Malfoy appeared in front of her position within the wards of Bravo location. The portkey arrived at 2200 and he managed to look every bit the aristocrat as he righted himself with barely a stumble. She had never been that graceful when using a portkey.

He looked around, seeing her smirked and nodded.

"Granger, how goes it?" He asked politely. She nodded to him, her usually full lips pressed in a thin line.

"We will need to disable the wards, and apparate to the point I had been prior to my instructions to meet you here." She pulled out the map, pointed to the coordinates she'd been at when she dismantled her camp two hours earlier.

He nodded biting back a comment that they could continue from here and he could look into things she might have overlooked. He quickly realized it would more than likely be a waste of time. Granger was thorough in her missions, he'd read her reports enough to know the kind of details she observed and the success rate of her work proved her expertise.

"Shall we?" He asked, gesturing with his arm towards the faint outline indicating the perimeter of her wards.

Together they worked silently to take down the wards that Hermione had just erected. Once that was done, he held an arm to her as an invitation for her to apparate them to the coordinates for them to bunk down.

Once they arrived back near the point she'd taken her campsite down she immediately began to re-erect another set of wards. Draco set about getting his tent set up. She finished setting the perimeter and turned to pick up her pack.

She saw him near his tent setting wards of his own his back to her. She took in the hereditary white blonde of his hair, and the tall broad shoulders he'd grown into and immediately went rigid. She never went on missions with Malfoy because as much as she had dealt with her past, she always thought about what had happened during her time in the Manor. She was immediately thrown back into a flashback. Her breathing began to speed up and she clutched her chest. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm.

 _i'Draco is not Lucius!'/i_ Hermione repeated that in her head several times before her breathing calmed and she continued like she hadn't just panicked a little. She set her own tent up.

Draco hadn't seen Hermione's mini-meltdown. He was busy going over her wards with his own, making sure they had a strength and interwove them to be reinforced. Even Harry would have trouble breaching these wards. When he looked over she had set up her own tent and was setting up a small blue fire in a large jar.

Draco smirked and thought of the talk in the Auror division of Granger's blue bell fires. Smokeless and utterly undetectable to those who didn't know to look for the magical signatures. She created the fires in a jar to keep from making more tracks than necessary. He himself usually just made a small campfire, then vanished what remains he could to avoid detection.

"Have you eaten?" Draco asked. She shook his head, not meeting his eyes. He took sandwiches he'd packed out. He tossed two to her as well as a bottle of pumpkin juice.

"Thank you." Hermione said as she ate. He finished his second sandwich while she barely are half of the first. She had finished the pumpkin juice. He smirked. At this rate she wouldn't have the strength to last until June when they were due back. He had packed easily enough rations for the two of them. Luxury being a part of who he was.

"Granger, what's been happening since the last report to Potter?" He asked after they cleaned up everything, he noticed she packed the remains of her food in her pack to eat later.

"I've been here for two weeks. I began this mission to figure out the cause of the fog, and what kind of effect it is having on the inhabitants of this nature preserve." She began, he could see how weary she looked as she ran her hand over the side of her face and to her neck to rest there and put pressure on those muscles.

"After two or three days I came across the first signs of the inhabitants being affected. Birds have left this area as have most other animals. There are magical creatures here. The fog has magical signatures encoded within its makeup, I just can't figure out if it's synthetic or naturally made. If a creature produced it naturally, or a wizard or witch conjured it." Draco raised his eyebrows at that in surprise.

"You believe there may be something going on here in these woods that could be a threat to us?"

"Not just us, if it's naturally made, we need to figure out what the creature is and how to get it to move back to its natural habitat before it ruins the ecosystem here. If it's man made then we need to figure out who is behind it and what they want to hide."

He looked around at the fog that was kept at bay outside the wards. It seemed to swirl and sway in the breeze. Lighter in some places and denser in others. It was almost hypnotic. Hermione watched as Draco stared into the fog. She'd done the same thing many times in her fourteen days here.

She'd finish her days work, set up her camp at dusk and in the small blue light of her fire she would stare at the light swirls of white that surrounded her wards well into the night. Her brow furrowed while she thought of this. If the fog effected them both the same way, or if it was a person's natural inclination to act this way.

"Well, thank you for the sandwiches and juice. I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to bed." She wasn't sure if she could call him Malfoy because of his sire, and Draco was too weird for her to call him. They weren't really that friendly. She shook her head from those thoughts as she stood and made her way into her tent that had become her shelter these past two weeks. She went to lay down, her whole body fatigued.

Draco sat staring at her tent that was closed for a moment thinking. Hermione didn't seem herself. She seemed a bit reserved compared to their interactions in the Auror department at the Ministry. Something was going on in her head. He wondered if being here with him was bringing up memories of what happened during the war at the Manor. He shook those thought off and put the blue bell flame out. He left the chairs and jar where they sat, taking his pack to his tent where he lay down. Hours passed as he lay there in the dark.

"Ahhhhh!" Draco heard the screams, he jumped out of his tent, wand at the ready running full tilt to Hermione's tent where he heard her distress and cries. Upon entering he looked around for any signs of assault or struggles before he realized she was in the middle of a nightmare.

"Damn. Granger! Granger!" He ran to her shaking her to wake her. Her brown eyes opened wide as she screamed and flew backwards on her hands, feet kicking out to push her even further in the tent away from the man in front of her.

"Please! No!" She gasped in a panic, not really seeing Draco in front of her. He held up his hands.

"Granger! Sh. It's Draco! Calm down, we're here on a mission, please calm down!" He pleaded. He wasn't sure if she understood until her sobs quieted to whimpers and her head came down into her hands.

"Granger, I'm coming over." He crawled over to her, her sleeping bag was tangled around her legs and back was against the side of her tent. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to sooth her a bit. She stiffened at his touch. He sat beside her silently, both thinking of the time she'd been captured in the Manor.

Hermione mentally cursed herself for not silencing her tent. Draco was rubbing circles on her back in comfort and she tried to stop her crying.

"You alright there Granger?" He asked after a few more minutes and her crying had stopped, but her face remained buried as she tried to mentally compose herself.

"Thanks, I. I'm better now." She picked her head up and looked at him sitting there beside her. Hermione hadn't realized how close Draco was to her. He nodded and started to pull away.

"Dr…Draco." She stammered over his name. She couldn't call him Malfoy. His father was still too recent in her memories for comfort. His eyes widened a bit at her use of his name.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I woke you. I'll not forget to silence the tent again. The wards are silenced, but it's been awhile since I've had to silence my tent. It won't happen again." He was surprised at this. She actually silenced her tent so others wouldn't hear her screaming at night over her wartime sufferings? How many of their partners did she go on missions with where she was screaming and crying and they knew nothing of her suffering? Her struggles?

"How often do you have these dreams?" He asked gently. She looked him in the eye, more than a little uncomfortable. She noticed his eyes were not the exact shape or shade of grey as his father's. He had genuine concern and emotion within those titanium depths.

Hermione noticed the small differences in his bone structure that was also not the same as Lucius, his chin was pointier, jaw broader, nose not as prominent as the man that haunted her nightmares. He was stronger, broader in stature, but still lean and tall. Her heart began pounding harder, and not as a result of fear.

"Granger?" He asked, narrowing his eyes in question as he took in her tear stained face and her dark brown eyes that stared into his, mirroring his confusion. She shook her head to clear it and forced a smile.

"Often enough Draco, often enough." He nodded at her answer and took his leave of her tent.

He lay back in his own sleeping bag within his own tent and really wished she'd silenced her tent. He punched his pillow for good measure and lay down in a huff. It took another hour or so before his breathing slowed in a restless sleep.

She also felt anger at herself for not silencing her tent before drifting to sleep.

"Silencio." She whispered and waved her wand. She fell back on her own pillow after straightening the sleeping bag from around her legs and feeling the exhaustion seep into her body she drifted into a discontented slumber.


End file.
